To follow the lead of a previous post regarding the unknown being an 800 lb gorilla, several people have asked me about “how do you deal with the unknown?” So, today is a how to of dealing with the unknown or uncertainty.

We need to become comfortable with the concept of contingency planning. This is a form of creativity being applied to the planning process or the classic “what if …” application of dealing with possibilities. Think of it as simply looking at alternative courses of action.

Being prepared by thinking about possible scenarios of events is the mark of true winners and the best leaders. Why? Because they prepare in advance for the possible changes in the current environment. This allows for individuals and leaders to remain calm in the face of chaos in the eyes of others. Calmness in the face of adversity is a characteristic of great leaders.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a great strategist who was prepared for multiple contingencies as a General of the French army. He thought about every possibility that could occur during a battle and developed a plan to deal with it if it happened. Thus, he has very successful for an extended period of time – when longevity was not a given. Continue reading ‘Planning for the Unknown’ »

To some people this is a strange question to ask. A stranger situation is for people to be thinking about the present – what am I going to do today? So what do you think about most often?

The research says you are probably like the 85% of the population that are thinking about the past. When I first heard that 85% of the time, people are thinking about things in the past I truly didn’t believe it. Yet, the more I listened to people talk, asked questions about their thoughts and did my own brand of research on this thought processing I came to the same conclusion.

People spend 85% of their time in the past. Continue reading ‘What Are You Thinking About – Past, Future or Present?’ »

Yes it’s that time again with a major twist. We need a new road map for ourself and our company. Why a new map? Because the old one doesn’t work in this economy. In fact, I would suggest that very few people really understand the ramifications of the new economy.

Let me explain this using an analogy. I’m a pretty good map reader and can find my way around with a good map. This year I made a trip to an area that I had never been to before. I got a map at the car rental place and had printed off a couple of other maps from the Internet. However, major details were left off of all the maps that I got. But I was confident that I would find my way because of my past success. Continue reading ‘It’s Time for a New Road Map – the Old One Doesn’t Work!’ »